Following Her Heart
by Kristen3
Summary: Niles is surprised when David asks about Daphne's accent. But his answer leads all three of them to appreciate the twist of fate which led to their family One-shot, written as a birthday gift for the lovely Aria (crazysockmonkeys).


**Author's Note: **Another gift for Aria (**crazysockmonkeys**) to thank her for all of her support. :)

Niles smiled to himself as he pulled into the parking lot. He rarely got to pick David up from school but, since Daphne had to run a few errands after she finished with Martin's daily therapy, he was more than willing to help out. Usually, it was Daphne who got to hear all about David's day. To most parents, this might seem like a chore, but Niles actually looked forward to it. Even though he was only in kindergarten, his son was already showing signs of being very bright for his age.

When Niles entered David's classroom, David gasped in surprise. "Daddy!" The boy raced over, giving his father a hug immediately. "Where's Mommy?"

"She had some errands to run after Grandpa's therapy, so I'm taking you home today, OK?"

David nodded. It would be nice to spend time with his dad for a change.

Niles took his son by the hand, and the two began walking back out to the car. When they reached the vehicle, David climbed in the passenger's seat and very carefully put on his safety belt.

Niles couldn't be prouder as he saw that his son was already used to riding in a car just like a grown-up. David was like him in so many ways.

"Daddy," David's small voice broke the silence. "How come Mommy doesn't talk like we do?"

David's question completely took Niles by surprise. Daphne's accent was something he didn't even think about anymore. But, to a five-year-old, he supposed it might sound strange. "Well, your mother's not from around here," Niles finally said.

"Is she an alien?" David asked.

Niles laughed. His son did have quite an imagination sometimes. "No. But she was born in England. When we get home, I'll show you where it is."

"OK," David said. He thought he'd heard of England before, but he wasn't sure where it was. He wondered if it was as far away as Chicago, where Uncle Frasier lived. He remembered flying there last year, and it seemed like he was in the air forever.

When Niles and David arrived at home, Niles walked his son straight into the study. Luckily, he'd bought a globe years ago from an antique store. At the time, it had been just another thing he'd bought for no particular reason. Suddenly, he was glad he had a way to show his son what the world looked like and how big it was. "Now, here's where we are." Niles pointed to the small dot in the northwestern United States that marked Seattle. "And here's Chicago, where we were last year."

David nodded. It was amazing to think he flew over all of those states when he was in that plane.

Niles spun the globe a bit so his son could see Europe. "And here's England, where your mom is from. In fact, she grew up right here." Niles pointed to the small dot for Manchester.

David's eyes widened as he noted the distance between Seattle and England. There was a whole ocean in between! "How did Mommy get here?"

"Well, your mommy thought that maybe her life wasn't in Manchester, even though that's where her family was. So she moved from here to here." Niles moved his finger on the globe, tracing a path from England all the way to Seattle. "She had to leave all of her family and friends behind. But she knew she wanted to spend her life helping people. Luckily, she came here, and she met your grandfather. She moved in with him and your Uncle Frasier. And then when I saw her, well... I had never seen anyone so beautiful before in my life."

David grinned. His mom was definitely pretty.

"So, David, does that answer your question about why your mom talks with an accent? I know it makes her a bit different from some of your friends' mothers, but it's always made her special to me. Her accent was one of the first things I noticed about her."

David thought about it for a moment. It did seem a little strange at first, when he realized no one else had a mother like his. But his dad was right. It didn't matter if she was a little bit different, like if she spoke differently. "Yeah." David shrugged.

"Good," Niles said with a smile. He'd known from the very beginning that Daphne was different, and not just because she had an accent. Frasier had thought she was odd at first, but the family quickly grew to love her, and Niles wouldn't change a thing about her.

Before either of them could do anything, they heard the sound of the front door opening. "Hey, where are you two?"

David took off running, making it from the study into the living room in seconds. Daphne barely had time to catch David as he ran at her before he would've knocked her down. "Well, what's got you so excited?"

"Daddy was telling me all about England."

"I'm from there. Did Daddy tell you that?" Daphne asked.

"Uh-huh," David nodded. "He said you came all the way from there, 'cause you wanted to help people. And that's how you met Grandpa."

Daphne smiled. Showing up at the Cranes' door was something she hadn't thought about in years. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. And yet, there was no denying that she wouldn't be where she was now if not for that twist of fate.

"I'm glad you came here!" David said, suddenly hugging her.

"Me, too," Daphne said, holding him close.

"I know I've thanked God every day that Frasier decided to hire someone to help take care of Dad," Niles said, looking Daphne in the eye. He walked toward his wife and son. He and Daphne kissed.

Before she arrived at home, Daphne was thinking about all the things she still had to do. There was dinner to make, laundry to do, and a thousand other chores which never seemed to get done. But at a moment like this, she realized how lucky she was. All because, long ago, she'd followed her heart. Yes, that was definitely a good decision.

**The End**


End file.
